Supportıng chıldren’s needs IN WRITING through differentiation Sarah Oskay July 2016 PLAIN COVER Use this cover where you do not want to use and image. Add the Macmillan Education logo and a single sub brand or lock up to the base logo strip as required

Differentiation?

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Differentiation … «…alters the implementation and design of lessons and activities so that the needs of all the students in the classroom can be met»

How are our students different from one another? 5

How are our children different from one another? o Different backgrounds/upbringings o Different cultures o Different social, emotional and physical attributes o Different characters/personalities o Different interests o Different levels of readiness o Different ways of learning

We do not need to label….. 7

However…. It seems natural that every child may learn best in a different way… «The biggest mistake of past centuries in teaching has been to treat all students as if they were variants of the same individual and thus to feel justified in teaching them all the same subjects the same way». Howard Gardner

However….

What do you think?

What can teachers base differentiation on? o Student readiness o Interest o Learning profile o Affect

Readiness o Teachers must try to know about their students’ prior knowledge and life experiences. o This includes their students’ views on school particularly certain activity areas. How can we obtain this information?

Examples of asking the children….» 13

Interest o Teachers need to put effort into discovering what the children like to do and what their passions include. o This helps the teachers to connect interests to the content they must teach and also aides the teacher in selecting small groups or projects. o «When the children are interested they will enjoy what they are learning and this will heighten their achievement» (Tomlinson, 2003). How can we discover this information?

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Ask them? 16

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Learning profile This includes: o Their style, o Culture, o Gender o Intelligence preference.

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Affect o Affect is how students feel about themselves in school. o This encompasses the students’ positive or negative feelings about their written work, their classroom and what they can add to the classroom dynamic. Tomlinson believes that teachers need to strive to understand their students’ emotions as well as their understanding for students to reach their highest potential (2003).

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Correct or not? 23

We can change the student’s point of view 24

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ContentContent – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information; ProcessProcess – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content; ProductsProducts – end projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and Learning environmentLearning environment – the way the classroom works and feels (groups). Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements which can be based on

Content 27

Content  Using materials at varying levels;  Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means;  Meeting with small groups to re- teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners. What have you tried?

Graded dictation 29

What skill(s) are students developing? What was the interaction pattern? (pw, gw, whole class etc) Could you use this activity in your class? why/ why not? Reflection on dictation

Process o Using tiered activities through which all learners work with the same important understandings and skills, but proceed with different levels of support, challenge, or complexity. o Providing interest centres o Offering hands-on supports for students who need them; and o Varying the length of time a student may take to complete a task in order to provide additional support for a struggling learner or to encourage an advanced learner to pursue a topic in greater depth.

Process 32

Sports (Macmillan English) 33

Writing Poems Help to differentiate….. Ready shape Ready letters Ready words 34

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Examples….. 36

Found poems A found poem doesn’t have to rhyme and it is most often free verse Here is what you can do: Black out words by deleting them from the writing sample Change punctuation or capitalization Here is what you cannot do: Do not change word order. Do not add words that are not in the original sample. 37

Examples of found poems 38

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How did you use differentiation? What was the interaction pattern? (pw, gw, whole class etc) Could you use this activity in your class? why/ why not? Reflection

Products o Giving students options of how to express required written material (e.g., write a script for a puppet show, draw and write a poster. o Allowing students to work alone or in small groups on their products; and o Encouraging students to create their own product assignments

Different ways of learning…. 42

Different ways of learning the same thing…. TASK: I can describe the theme or message that the writer wants to get over to the reader 43

I can write about the reasons for rules and laws and the consequences for people who do not obey them 44

ANALYTICALUSE A GRAPHIC ORGANISER TO LIST RULES AND SCHOOL AND CONSEQUENCES WHEN THEY ARE BROKEN PRACTICALCREATE A SCRIPT FOR A TV SHOW/PLAY THAT WOULD SHOW WHAT LIFE WOULD BE LIKE IF THERE WERE NO LAWS IN YOUR CITY CREATIVEWRITE A FABLE WITH A MORAL TO SHOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THERE WERE NO RULES IN A CERTAIN SITUATION 45

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I can write about the main events of a chosen book 48

Story events cube 49

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Learnıng environment o Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well as places that invite student collaboration; o Providing materials that reflect a variety of home settings; o Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs; o Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately; and o Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly (Tomlinson, 1995, 1999; Winebrenner, 1992, 1996).

Make it visual 52

Create a language-rich environment  English language learners will benefit from increased exposure to print and language. A print-rich environment will include access to books and reference materials, labels and posters, and student work on bulletin boards.  Word walls are also a great support for ELLs, and may be organized around a number of concepts, including the alphabet and phonetic sounds, new vocabulary words, sight words, grammar rules, conversational phrases, and writing structure 53

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What factors affect the viability of differentiation? o Teachers who are able to successfully differentiate instructıon are first of all sensitive to the developmental differences among their children o Regular monitoring in order to modify o Assessing and observing o Minimize whole group instruction

Why small groups? o More flexible o Teachers can work within the child’s optimal learning level o Children are more likely to be challenged and less likely to be frustrated o So the child is met «where they are» currently

Everone has something to do… 57

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Remember….. 60

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